HSH options.....

henryjurstin13

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Aug 14, 2013
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I'm starting to narrow down on my next guitar.... started out thinking I wanted a 335 type, then Silver Sky, and almost pulled the trigger on a Reverend Gristlemaster.... but, I'm still shopping & I think I want to move towards some sort of HSH guitar. Special 22 Semi-Hollow looks almost perfect to me, but I've yet to play one in person. The 509/513 guitars look very nice too, but again -- not played 'em.

I've got a McCarty Archtop II, McCarty, and a DGT (as well as an Am.Std. Strat, and Duesy Starplayer TV) but I'm looking to add more versatility to the fold. This has my sights set on things with positions 2 & 4...... I even considered what it would be like to modify a Vela into a HSH guitar.

Any ideas/comments/suggestions/advice?
 
Swamp Ash Special

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There’s also another CU22 Special which was HSH, and technically the Brent Mason signature was one too.
 
I think the Special 22 Semi-Hollow is really hard to beat all things considered. I really think it’s one of the best models PRS has ever made.
 
I think the Special 22 Semi-Hollow is really hard to beat all things considered. I really think it’s one of the best models PRS has ever made.
it sure looks that way to me.... but, I just don't know that I can drop that kind of coin on a guitar without ever playing one first...... or could I? I did buy my McCarty Archtop II off of ebay without ever having played one..... I was drawn to that guitar, saw Jimmy Herring using the Hollowbody II, and blindly committed.... Not a single regret.

I want neck humbucker tones.
I want quacky/quack-ISH 2 & 4 sounds.
I would not hate having an F-hole.
I like the ideals of having a super versatile instrument capable of H-S-S or H-S-H or S-S-H.

I could possibly get someone to cut up another PRS & add pickups/controls, but a soldering superhero, I am not.
 
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The 2 & 4 positions on my Limited Special Semi do not sound phasey / clucky like you might think, even with the front or back humbuckers tapped (the narrowfield not being a real single coil could contribute to this?). They sound complex, bright and beautiful, but it's not really strat-like at all. Also remember you cannot isolate the middle pickup with the stock wiring. The Limited SSH is basically the greatest guitar ever, and I'm sure the Core SSH is great too, but I'd try and play one or really pore over hifi sound clips to make sure you're getting the result you want.
 
Money no object I’d vote MEV. There should be a few more batches of wood library ones coming from different vendors by the end of this year. I was personally thinking about getting a used SAS and doing some custom wiring to get the 2&4 position sounds being humbucker in parallel plus middle pickup since I like how that sounds on the Fiore.
 
I want neck humbucker tones.
I want quacky/quack-ISH 2 & 4 sounds.
I would not hate having an F-hole.
I like the ideals of having a super versatile instrument capable of H-S-S or H-S-H or S-S-H.

It sounds like the SSH would be a perfect match for you. Others have also suggested the MEV and that is a very valid option, I have one of those as well and it’s amazing. But I do think that the SSH is a better bang for the buck, the MEV is more expensive, and the combination of the pickups with the small body semi-hollow construction in the SSH is really something unique.
 
I’ve played a pair of 513s with Brazilian necks for years as my main gigging guitars in a variety cover band. They are very versatile and unique in the PRS lineup. Of course, they play like a PRS so there’s no question there. The 509 is similar, though I’ve not gigged one. The pandemic killed the gigging, and resulted in some trading out of other guitars, but both 513s remain. They’re keepers.

Anytime someone is looking for something to fill out their collection, the 513 is very easy to recommend because it’s different and offers a combination of options no other PRS does, and sounds good in all 13 of them! You should try one.

s2kvapQ.jpg
 
I’ve played a pair of 513s with Brazilian necks for years as my main gigging guitars in a variety cover band. They are very versatile and unique in the PRS lineup. Of course, they play like a PRS so there’s no question there. The 509 is similar, though I’ve not gigged one. The pandemic killed the gigging, and resulted in some trading out of other guitars, but both 513s remain. They’re keepers.

Anytime someone is looking for something to fill out their collection, the 513 is very easy to recommend because it’s different and offers a combination of options no other PRS does, and sounds good in all 13 of them! You should try one.

s2kvapQ.jpg

I would love to try that 513 Rosie!!!!!!!
 
I would love to try that 513 Rosie!!!!!!!
They are spectacular examples of Paul’s “taking it up a level.” Both of mine are 2007 models, so not technically in the “513 Brazilian” run, but with all the same appointments. The other was a custom made version done for a show as a 513 Artist test run, from what I can gather. Even the records at the Mothership are unclear on exactly how it came to be what it is, but it’s a beauty:

lJSMCw9.jpg


They are really unique and cool guitars. I’m a fan for life.
 
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